I was thinking I’d write about something different today. Today, I’m not going to be using (well, quoting) any children’s books. If you came here expecting an analysis of a children’s book, this is not the post where you will find it.

I’ve been out of school for how many weeks now? And I’m dying from lack of school. I went out, and I bought a whole bunch of literary criticism books at Chapters. I’m one of those people who can’t stand to be bored, or not doing something. You could say the whole reason I’m even posting right now is because I needed to do something- I listened to one of my past lectures and boom! out came some inspiration.

So all these pictures I’ve posted are mostly just to brag. Yup, I’m guilty of that. But the rest of the pictures from now on will be just as important as the words. And this is going to be my most image-heavy post yet.

I rarely look into the historical lens of literature. But I’ve decided for something different, the publication of children’s books needs to be talked about. In my children’s literature class last summer, we talked a little about John Newbery. “He published children’s books…very early eighteenth century. And most early printers published a version of Aesop’s fables and all children read Aesop’s Fables. And they did have illustrations in it of animals and lots of lessons… It sold very well… You had to get a royalty fee up until I think 1724… It…was very difficult…to mass publish because everything had to be checked. But that was lifted by Queen Anne in the early 18th century and that’s when mass print is born… Once it became a lot easier to print- … It used to be that you would have a lot of censorship…in late… seventeenth century and then… by…the early eighteenth century a lot of the…restrictions were lifted. And .. what sold well was…Aesop’s Fables…They…were meant to be read aloud. So literacy wasn’t an issue. There were pictures- That helped when you don’t have a highly literate population… So John Newbery was an English printer…he…decided that children’s literature… was published and it was cheaply done. It wasn’t… as well written as he would like and so he hired… established authors. He would print… books with gilt edges…He’s the one that really instituted the idea of having the illustrator and an author…collaborate and create these…wonderful books that they illustrated… And it looks familiar, right? You have the title, you have an illustration and… the quality of his books would far surpass any other children’s publisher and any publisher of the day. He made a lot of money because of that.” (Humphreys, lecture) He was so influential that an award was named after him. The Newbery medal given to one children’s book each year and is considered an honour.

It wasn’t only in the British empire where this was happening. “In France, the city of Rouen became a center for the children’s book trade in the eighteenth century, and by the late nineteenth the Paris firm of Pierre-Jules Hetzel set a standard for the making and the marketing of books for younger readers.” (Lerer, 8) Mass publication was happening everywhere. No longer just for the elite, middle-class people were starting to read, and it became a pastime for many groups. There was an explosion in books being written for the average person- but children’s books were an afterthought to publishers until the seventeenth century.

So, what I’m going to be doing is showing versions of The Secret Garden, and using some of those books in the three pictures above to help me explain them. Moving on from the history of how mass print started, even through the twentieth century there are subtle differences in publication of books, which I think says a lot about how children were viewed.

The cover is important when looking at a book. It’s one of the first things we see. Depending on the publisher or even the year of the book, the covers may be different.

The Secret Garden- My grandmother’s copy. Very plain, without even the title on the front. (There may have been a dust jacket, but I’ve never seen it.)

The book was actually the first “grown up book” I ever picked up. Ever. It was in our living room, I would pick it up from the bookshelf, and look at the words. I thought it was a “grown up book” simply because the cover was so plain.

The title page for my grandmother’s version is plain as well. Minimalist is probably the word for it. It has a border at the top, the title, the name of the author, and the name of the publisher and the logo of the publishing company. There’s not much more to it.

This version was published in 1938 by a company who evidently thought that they were more important than the title of the book… It does not look like “a children’s book” and I never expected that it was one until I received my own copy a few years later. (I was about 4 when I picked this one up off the shelves… I remember actually thinking that I would get into trouble for looking at it because it didn’t seem like a book for me, and it wasn’t in my room. So it was probably my mother’s book…) Covers can be deceiving.

The Secret Garden- My mother’s copy. It looks more ‘child friendly’ It’s brighter, there’s still no title on the front. (This may have had a dust jacket, but again, I never saw it.) More importantly- there’s illustration. Yes, it’s simple, a tree, but it’s better to look at compared to the one that simply says “A Thrushwood Book” on the bottom.

This one was published in 1962. There were illustrations introduced in this one by Tasha Tudor, and it was published by the J.B Lippincott Company. The illustrations are full length, in colour, and take up an entire page. (I’ll be talking about illustrations later)

The design is more elaborate. The border goes around the entire page, and is in colour. The name of the author and the illustrator are italicized and featured around the center illustration of a tree-which is a more elaborate design of the picture on the cover. The picture looks feminine, with pink and flowers and lighter shades, giving it the designation of “a girl book”. The publisher is only acknowledged by one line at the bottom of the page, in capital letters but smaller than the title at the top, so as not to draw attention away from the book.

My version of the Secret Garden was published in 1998. It was paperback, and featured illustrations at the top of the page of each chapter. They were in black and white. However this one had the cover look more like a children’s book as we know it to be today.

This 1998 version was paperback, had a visually appealing cover, and looked more “child friendly”

“Children’s books are now the most profitable area of publishing, and links between traditional and innovative media establish younger readers as the prime market for imaginative writing. European and American demographics too, point to a rise in the number of school-age children and a corresponding interest among parents not just for new books to read, but for a sense of history to children’s reading….The categories of the children’s book are codified not just by writers and readers, but by booksellers, librarians, and publishing houses. To a large degree, the twentieth century history of children’s literature is a story of those institutions: of debates among librarians concerning audience and appropriateness; of medals and awards, reflecting social mores and commercial needs; of tie-ins, toys, and replications , in a range of media, of characters from children’s books. Such media phenomena attest not only to the governing commodity economy in which the children’s book now sits. They also constitute a form of literary reception in their own right. The marketing of Pooh or Pocahontas in the late twentieth century may not be too different from the harlequinades of the eighteenth, when booksellers sought ways of augmenting their readerships by offering these single-sheet, illustrated selections from well-known stories. The history of reading perennially links together commerce and interpretation.” (Lerer, 8) The books are not simply for reading- they are meant for publishing. Money and capitalism are the main goal for the publishers. In marketing, how it works is (And you’ll have to forgive me if I don’t explain clearly enough, I’ve basically grown up with this stuff, so it’s easier for me to understand than explain.) they will usually test a product first on a group to see how they like it. If enough people like it, then they will produce more- if people don’t like it, it’s back to the drawing board. They will have a limited sample at first, and then they will make more if more people want it- It’s all a part of supply and demand. Seeing as the Secret Garden is a “classic” there will always be versions of it, newer ones, abridged ones, online versions. The 1998 version is in paperback because it is from a publishing company as we know it- they need to turn out a specific profit to hit their numbers, (I’ll ask my father what that means later) or else they aren’t doing their job.

So, as for where it’s headed. The medium has definitely changed- from print to online.

There are several versions of the secret garden, all accessible with a tap of your finger on the screen and your credit card.

Products like Kobo and Kindle have realized the way that we are advancing- into a digital age. The digital age makes it a lot easier to obtain different things that wouldn’t have been possible, and it’s cheap, or even free. However, there are drawbacks to this as well. Dealing with just the internet and different versions of things being made available online is always an issue. While in bookstores and libraries there is a physical copy of the book and copyright information on the front page, many places online don’t think of copyright and books read online that are not in the public domain may even be illegal. “We’re getting a lot stricter on the internet…You can’t say everything you want to say on the internet and you used to.” (Humphreys, lecture) So while on Kobo and Kindle there are an unlimited amount of books, several versions, more diversity than in a bookstore and at a cheaper cost, online versions found on a website may be sketchy, and even illegal.

I for one hope that these older books will always remain. Illustrated versions are beautiful, and the history of books is (I find) lost with the introduction of websites such as Gutenberg and the e-reader. I find that with the publication going the way it is now, we may have actually completely lost Newbery’s ideas in the next fifty years. There are less illustrations because people are becoming more literate, but we’ve lost the ability to appreciate things as simple as the cover- because we think that the words are more important.

I think I’ve just proved that the cover says a lot as well. Before even opening the book to the first chapter, books can be learned from and appreciated for the wonderful things they are.

So, I was reading a post which a fellow blogger wrote about situations that made her feel awkward. She wrote about crying, and being at a loss of what to do. Well, that sparked questions from me, as usual. I can never just leave anything without analyzing it- I call it the “curse of being an English Major.” She listed several options which would be her thought process on what to do if she encountered someone crying.

Why does the act of crying make others uncomfortable? Is it something culturally, where Western Society doesn’t like to see it, and maybe it is accepted elsewhere? Or historically. Of course there’s also that gender stereotype which says that women are emotional while the men aren’t.

When and where is it acceptable to cry?

There are some people who can’t cry. This can be seen as a burden, and a nuisance to many who rely on tears for catharsis.”Catharsis is generally defined as the purging of emotions or relieving of emotional tensions.” (Bylsma et al., 1165) Emotions should be able to be allowed to be expressed; if they are suppressed it often brings on detachment from emotions. Bud experiences this in Bud Not Buddy, when he explains that if he is sad “My throat gets all choky and my eyes get all sting-y. But the tears coming out doesn’t happen to me anymore. I don’t know when it first happened, but it seems like my eyes don’t cry no more.” (Curtis, 3) He is unable to express how he feels even though he wants to. Once he is able to, he is annoyed because he “couldn’t get that doggone valve closed.” (Curtis, 173)

Anyone else find it completely appropriate that the culture which first advocated releasing emotion, also invented theatre?

Emotions have been around forever. So, the need to express these emotions and how to do so have also been discussed over time. “The idea of emotional catharsis dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans over 2000 years ago, as exemplified by a quote from the famous Roman poet Ovid: “It is a relief to weep; grief is satisfied and carried off by tears” (c.f., Frey, 1985). The Greek philosopher Aristotle…wrote that crying “cleanses the mind” of suppressed emotions through a process of catharsis in which distress is reduced through the release of emotions…The idea of emotional catharsis was made popular in more recent times by Freud who considered tears as “involuntary reflexes” that discharge affect so that a “large part of the affect disappears.”…The idea that crying is a specific form of cathartic behavior is widely asserted in contemporary culture.” (Bylsma, et al. 1165-1166) In Anne of Green Gables, Anne is frequently emotional, in her first encounter with Marilla she does not try to hide her feelings but becomes hysterical.”‘You don’t want me!’ she cried. ‘You don’t want me because I’m not a boy! I might have expected it…Oh what shall I do? I’m going to burst into tears!’ Burst into tears she did. Sitting down on a chair by the table, flinging her arms out upon it, and burying her face in them, she proceeded to cry stormily.” (Montgomery, 23-24) The display of emotion is awkward in Western culture when interacting with strangers, and it is uncomfortable to all of those involved. In another instance, even Anne is embarrassed:”‘I’m crying…I can’t think why. I’m as glad as glad can be…I’m so happy…I’ll do my very best. But can you tell me why I’m crying?’ ‘I suppose it’s because you’re all excited and worked up,’ said Marilla disapprovingly. ‘…Try to calm yourself. I’m afraid you both cry and laugh far too easily.'” (Montgomery, 54) Excessive emotional displays are frowned upon by Marilla, even as a way to bring relief.

Crying can help to relieve emotions.

“In some cultures the expression of intense emotions, such as crying, is disapproved of, or only allowed in very specific and well-defined situations. For example, the Balinese are not allowed to cry during the whole period of mourning after the death of a loved one (Rosenblatt, Walsh, & Jackson, 1976).” (Becht and Vingerhoets, 89) In contrast, Bud is comforted when he cries. “Something whispered to me in a language that I didn’t have any trouble understanding, it said ‘Go ahead and cry, Bud, you’re home.'” (Curtis, 174) He does not wish to cry, however he needs to, in order to release emotions. “I was smiling and laughing and busting my gut so much that I got carried away and some rusty old valve squeaked open in me then…woop, zoop, sloop…tears started jumping out of my eyes so hard that I had to cover my face with the big red and white napkin that was on the table.” (Curtis, 172-173) Once he feels safe with the people he is with, the ability to cry is found. “The cathartic effect is dependent on the extent to which the individual feels secure and safe while re-experiencing the emotional event….Cathartic crying is seen as occurring when an unresolved emotional distress is reawakened in a properly distanced context, in which there is an appropriate balance of distress and security.” (Bylsma et al. 1166-1167)

“In collectivistic societies like Indonesia and Japan (Hofstede, 1980), in which common interests prevail over individual goals, the display of intense emotions is regarded as less appropriate than it is in individualistic cultures (Matsumoto, 1990)…Wealthier countries appear to be more individualistic (Georgas et al., 2000), so national income should also contribute to positive mood change, paralleling the effect of individualism.” (Becht and Vingerhoets, 90). In Anne’s case, she doesn’t have much and is part of the lower class. “I have two [nightgowns]. The matron of the asylum made them for me. They’re fearfully skimpy. There is never enough to go around in an asylum, so things are always skimpy-at least in a poor asylum like ours.” (Montgomery, 27) She has never had a privileged life, and has spent most of her life babysitting younger children- she’s a servant. The one place where she is treated as she should be, the asylum, can only afford to give her the bare minimum. She is not seen as an individual in this setting, but as only one person in a group of several others. Bud Not Buddy is set in the United States during the Great Depression. He is also a foster child. In the room “All the boys’ beds were jim-jammed together.” (Curtis, 3) so he doesn’t have the space required to be set apart from others. “There’s more and more kids coming into the Home every day.” (Curtis, 6)

Although the books are set in Canada and the United States, while they may have been in an individualistic culture which allowed crying, because of their situations in crowded orphanages, they were seen as part of a collective society. In A Little Princess, Sara, as part of a different class, is able to have the freedom that she needs. “She is the strangest child I ever saw. She has actually made no fuss at all… When I told her what had happened, she just stood quite still and looked at me without making a sound… When I had finished, she still stood staring for a few seconds, and then her chin began to shake, and she turned round and ran out of the room and upstairs. Several of the other children began to cry, but she did not seem to hear them or be alive to anything but just what I was saying.” (Burnett, 89). She removes herself from a group, and seeks privacy to be able to react to her emotions in a way which she wishes to without being observed. “Nobody but Sara herself ever knew what had happened in her room after she had run upstairs and locked her door…She walked up and down, saying over and over to herself in a voice which did not seem her own, ‘My papa is dead.’…Once she stopped before Emily, who sat watching her from her chair, and cried out wildly, ‘Emily! Do you hear? Do you hear-papa is dead?'” (Burnett, 89) She cries, but only in private. She has to be seen as “Princess Sara” (Burnett, 75) to the others for as long as she can. This part being played has to be done by acting with little or no emotion. “Her mouth was set as if she did not wish to reveal what she had suffered and was suffering.” (Burnett, 90) She may have lost everything, but she keeps her attitude as a princess. To restrain her emotions gives her power. This is why, when Sara acts as she does, others get annoyed. “If she had cried and sobbed and seemed frightened, Miss. Minchin might almost have had more patience with her.” (Burnett, 91-92) To show her emotions would have been a sign of acceptance at her change in socio-economic status. By keeping control of her feelings publicly, she still has control, even with her newly discovered poverty.

Babies cry because they have no other way to communicate.

According to what I’ve found out, it actually seems that in Western culture, crying is accepted (and even expected) in certain contexts. Sometimes it is laughed at- and people are thankful when they don’t have to be the listener. (Thus the reason “Reasons my Son is Crying” exists on Tumblr, which I think grossly invalidates him.) Death, a loss, and extreme emotion isn’t supposed to be hidden, but acknowledged. It doesn’t need to be repressed, but there are times when people need to be composed as well. So, why does it create embarrassment for those involved, either watching or crying? I don’t think there should be. There are always two ways to look at everything- and no matter what, everybody is entitled to their own reactions. The emotional reactions people have to events or news is completely justified; and everybody is entitled to express how they feel, whether publicly or privately.

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WORKS CITED

IMAGES (In order of appearance, everything else in alphabetical order)

Hopefully, we all know this scene from the Wizard of Oz. The line is now famous: “Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!”. The title of this blog post comes from that quote in the Wizard of Oz movie, if you’ve never watched it.

In Children’s Literature, I’ve noticed that quite a lot of animals are present in either an anthropomorphic way, or as pets. I’ll be taking some information that I researched in Cultural Studies last year to present my new slogan: “Bunny rabbits and mice, oh my!”

Before we get onto books, let’s talk nursery rhymes. There are several nursery rhymes featuring mice as the main character. In “Hickory Dickory Dock” the mouse keeps running up and down the clock as it strikes on the hour. “Three Blind Mice” shows mice as victims; their tails are cut off by a farmer’s wife, and it is shocking. Nursery rhymes are introduced before books to children, it is interesting that the characters they are asked to sympathize with is a mouse, considering the way that they take on quite a different meaning to adults.

Adults view mice as intruders in their home and a nuisance. They may try several ways to get rid of mice in their home, including getting a cat to hunt the mice, and setting mousetraps to catch them. It is quite odd then, how mice are consistently featured in children’s books, as well as movies, and given human-like qualities.

Yes, this is Minnie and not Mickey, but I thought it best to use my own image. (This was taken when I was ten at Disney World) I just wanted to show how the characters have been used to promote the company and the reason the mouse has been used- Not as a real mouse but as symbol.

Mickey Mouse not only speaks, walks, and has feelings, he also has several friends and a family. Children are able to identify with him as they are exposed to him constantly on film, in pictures, and recognize him as a symbol for Disney-the happiest place on earth. So what happens? Why is it that this loveable mouse does not persuade people to love mice as they mature, but squeal over them? It’s simple. As people grow older, they learn to recognize the difference between fantasy and reality- they may identify with Mickey- but he is not a “real mouse”- he is only a creation from the Walt Disney Company used to promote the corporation.

In Madeline the main character has to be made unique to make her deserving of having her story told: she has been singled out of a group of twelve girls, they are dressed like her, go to school with her, and live with her. As it is nearly impossible to tell them apart by looking at them, the actions of Madeline have to be told and shown to make her the focus of the story. She is unlike the other characters in the book, and one thing which makes her stand out is that “she was not afraid of mice.” (Bemelmans, 15). She is made an individual from the other girls in the school, as she is the smallest, likes mice although the others do not, and faces the tiger in the zoo bravely when the others are scared.

The other girls are all in a separate corner as Madeline goes to touch the mouse. It helps to distinguish her as the main character, as she does not fear what the other girls do.

In A Little Princess Sara has to deal with a change of fortune. She loses not only her father, her money, and her status as the most popular girl in school, but she also loses her friends. The only friends that she is permitted after her change from a “princess” to a servant, is Becky, the other servant girl, and a mouse who lives in her attic. The mouse cannot talk, but Sara still has conversations with him. “I dare say it is rather hard to be a rat…Nobody likes you. People jump and run away and scream out, ‘Oh, a horrid rat!’ I shouldn’t like people to scream and jump and say, ‘Oh a horrid Sara!’ the moment they saw me.” (Burnett, 116-117). She cares for him, and makes sure that he has enough food. “As the days had gone on and, with the aid of scraps brought up from the kitchen, her curious friendship had developed, she had gradually forgotten that the timid creature she was becoming familiar with was a mere rat.” (Burnett, 120). Using the power of her imagination, Sara allows herself to emphasize with the rat and create a connection between them. She treats him as human, showing that even though her luck has fallen, she still behaves the way she did when she was rich. She can still have friends as a servant, even if they are different from her former friends. She humanizes the rat, naming him Melchisedec, and explaining to a student at the school that “He is a person….He gets hungry and frightened, just as we do; and he is married and has children. How do we know he doesn’t think things, just as we do? His eyes look as if he was a person. That was why I gave him a name” (Burnett, 121-122). This chapter explains a theme in the story: it’s what’s on the inside (her attitude and kindness,) that counts; not her money. She treats everyone as human, even if they are despised. Every creature has feelings and thoughts; just because they are not explicitly stated does not mean they are nonexistent.

Reepicheep greeting Prince Caspian.

The Chronicles of Narnia has many animals. The mice are one of the most important species. They are loyal to Narnia, and the mice try to do the best they can to help with the kingdom. Their size does not matter, it is their willingness to fight which helps them to defend Narnia. Reepicheep “wore a tiny little rapier at his side and twirled his long whiskers as if they were a moustache. ‘There are twelve of us, Sire,’ he said, with a dashing and graceful bow, ‘and I place all the resources of my people unreservedly at your Majesty’s disposal.’ Caspian… couldn’t help thinking that Reepicheep and all his people could very easily be put in a washing basket and carried home on one’s back.” (Prince Caspian, Lewis, 73). They believe in what they are fighting for, and are the most anxious to start battling. They are laughed at for how they perceive themselves as warriors even though they can hardly even be seen, and others find them amusing because they are so eager to fight. “‘Hurrah!; said a very shrill and small voice from somewhere at the Doctor’s feet. ‘Let them come! All I ask is that the King will put me and my people in the front.’ ‘What on earth?’ said Doctor Cornelius…Then after stooping down and peering carefully through his spectacles he broke into a laugh. ‘By the Lion,’ he swore, ‘it’s a mouse. Signior Mouse, I desire your better acquaintance. I am honoured by meeting so valiant a beast.'” (Prince Caspian, Lewis, 80). He is not what people expect when they think of a warrior, and so they are often surprised when they meet him and admire his enthusiasm for battle. The doctor responded to Reepicheep as if he were not serious. He was approached like a child, and he is often treated as one. ‘”Sire,’ said Reepicheep. ‘My life is ever at your command, but my honour is my own. Sire, I have among my people the only trumpeter in your Majesty’s army. I had thought, perhaps, we might have been sent with the challenge. Sire, my people are grieved. Perhaps if it were your pleasure that I should be a marshal of the lists, it would content them’ …’I’m afraid it would not do,’ said Peter very gravely. ‘Some humans are afraid of mice.'” (Prince Caspian, Lewis, 159). Peter tries to shelter and protect Reepicheep, much like parents try to keep their children safe. It is unsuccessful, and Reepicheep ignores Peter’s suggestion, deciding to do what is best for him. “‘Come back Reepicheep, you little ass!’ shouted Peter. ‘You’ll only be killed. This is no place for mice.’ But the ridiculous little creatures were dancing in and out among the feet of both armies, jabbing with their swords. Many a Telmarine warrior that day felt his foot suddenly pierced as if by a dozen skewers, hopped on one leg cursing the pain, and fell as often as not. If he fell, the mice finished him off; if he did not, someone else did.” (Prince Caspian, Lewis, 167) He managed to fight, and he was useful. He did a better job because of his size- people not being able to see him was an asset, they did not know he was going to attack their feet, and by being snuck up on, the Telemarines were shocked and unable to battle as they wanted to. In the Voyage of the Dawntreader, Eustace, Lucy and Edmund’s cousin, is rude, selfish, and spoiled. He detests Narnia, and he complains “That little brute has half killed me. I insist on it being kept under control. I could bring an action against you Caspian. I could order you to have it destroyed.” (The Voyage of the Dawntreader, Lewis, 28). He is spoiled, and tries to control the way that the animals and humans interact with each other. He treats Reepicheep as a child, because the concept of animals and humans being equal is foreign to him. He is forgiven when he is turned into an animal himself after guarding a dragon’s treasure chest. He is ignored and shunned by nearly everyone except Reepicheep.

Reepicheep and Eustace.

“Reepicheep was [Eustace’s] most constant comforter. The noble Mouse would creep away from the merry circle at the camp fire and sit down by the dragon’s head…There he would explain that what had happened to Eustace was a striking illustration of the turn of Fortune’s wheel, and that if he had Eustace at his own house in Narnia…he could show him more than a hundred examples of emperors, kings, dukes, knights, poets, lovers, astronomers, philosophers, and magicians, who had fallen from prosperity into the most distressing circumstances, and of whom many had recovered and lived happily ever afterwards. It did not, perhaps, seem so very comforting at the time, but it was kindly meant and Eustace never forgot it.” (The Voyage of the Dawntreader, Lewis, 81-82). Reepicheep tries his best to comfort Eustace, and tries to be his friend when no one else will. He declines being with the others because he knows Eustace needs him more. Mice are seen as strong even though they are small- and the paralell that children have with mice in this book is enough to empathize with them, even though they are not drawn in an anthropomorphic way.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is about a mouse who keeps asking for things. He definitely has some negative traits, as some humans do as well. He takes advantage of someone who tries to feed him, and has more outrageous demands which he is given. “When you give him the milk, he’ll probably ask you for a straw. When he’s finished, he’ll ask you for a napkin.” (Numeroff, 3-5). He is essentially an unwanted houseguest, much like how society views mice as a species. He is humanized through his clothes and facial expressions, and is instead changed into a humorous characterization of a visitor; not a typical mouse. He is liked because he seems human- even though he does what mice do, and takes food from the boy’s house. The way the story is written as a never ending list, also gives the impression that his demands could go on forever, so it is satisfying when it wraps up with “he’s going to want a cookie to go with it.” (Numeroff, 28). The tone of the story is exaggerated, which mirrors the depiction of the mouse. A mouse may have some human qualities, such as being able to feel hunger, but it can’t actually ask for food, or a drink, or clean a house. It makes mice in reality seem as less of a nuisance when compared to this story.

Putting the mouse in overalls humanizes him.

The Mitten is a story about several animals who climb into a mitten to keep warm. The mouse, being the smallest, comes in last. “Along came a meadow mouse, no bigger than an acorn. She wriggled into the one space left, and made herself comfortable.” (Brett, 21). She causes the bear to react, and again is put into the role of a nuisance. She is disruptive, whether she meant to be or not. This story is different as it exposes children to a more adult view of animals, while still being imaginative.

“The lesson taught by exposing children to mice through literature is that even small creatures deserve to be treated humanely. We learn that mice can be intelligent, outsmarting their opponents, and friendly, making friends with other mice, or humans. They are very caring for their family, and the bestiary says that “when their parents are old, they feed them with remarkable affection.” (bestiary.ca) Mice are able to care for their family, and they do all they can to provide for them.” (Previous essay) This being said, I think part of the reason why mice are so present in children’s literature and given human traits is due to the cult of the child. The cult of the child held the belief that children are an investment for the parents, and so they should identify with mice, follow their example of taking care of their family.

Rabbits and Hares are very popular animals in children’s stories. They are so heavy with symbolic meaning that they are used repeatedly in Children’s Literature, in several different ways.

Rabbits are often used in bedtime stories. They have a strong association with the moon, among other things. “Numerous folk tales tell…of old women revealed as witches when they are wounded in their animal shape.” (Windling). The little old lady whispering hush, could be threatening. Through looking at the rabbit symbolically, it is no longer a calm story, but a terrifying one. Bedtime can be seen as a scary process which children can relate to, and at the same time the rhyming and mentions of the objects and colours in the room can make Goodnight Moon comforting.

Tell me something happy before I go to sleep, is another bedtime story, this time with rabbits who interact with each other much more easily than the little old lady and the child rabbit. The little rabbit raises the issue of her anxiety in going to bed, and her brother has to calm her down. Her brother shows her happy things- and decides to show Willa the kitchen. “I see bread and honey and oats and milk and apples,” (Dunbar, 12) is her discovery when her brother opens the pantry door. Milk is given to newborns to drink, as they cannot eat. This may refer to the act of getting pregnant and hoping to conceive a child. The apple is a universal symbol of fertility, used in the Bible, and seen as forbidden. However rabbits are also connected with fertility; and the two rabbits; one male and one female represents the stages of the night. This bedtime story then, is an allegory for sex, not a simple bedtime story as first thought. “In Asian folklore, a rabbit is believed to become pregnant by looking at a full moon.” (Windling). This offers a rather grown up interpretation if read between the lines. ‘When the morning comes and wakes me up, will you still be here?’ asked Willa. ‘I’ll still be here,’ said Willoughby. ‘Good,’ said Willa. ‘That’s the happiest thing of all!’ ‘Good night, Willa.’ But Willa didn’t answer. She was sound asleep.” (Dunbar, 26). It is no longer about an insomniac bunny, but about sexual pleasure.

In Jan Brett’s tale, the rabbit is the second animal to find the mitten and climb into it. “A snowshoe rabbit came hopping by. He stopped for a moment to admire his winter coat. It was then that he saw the mitten, and he wiggled in, feet first. The mole didn’t think there was room for both of them, but when he saw the rabbit’s big kickers he moved over.” (Brett, 10) He is both vain, and lucky, which are widely accepted beliefs about rabbits. His feet stopped him from being sent away. The animals are therefore, acknowledging human beliefs about them as correct.

Bugs Bunny is another well known cartoon character. Unlike Mickey, he is not a symbol, he is an archetype of the trickster figure. He has several companions who he plays tricks on; Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, and the most infamous: Elmer Fudd.

He is not bad or good. He just creates trouble in a way which is funny. Most of the time, the reactions of those he plays tricks on are out of proportion to what he has done. He exists to upset normal time and turn things on it’s head. It introduces comedic value because the two characters are so separate in their emotions, with Bugs being extremely calm, and Elmer furious.

The White Rabbit looking at his watch.

In Alice in Wonderland, the White Rabbit is introduced as the immediate conflict- the first character whom is Alice’s connection with Wonderland. “A rabbit crossing one’s path in the morning was an indication of trouble ahead.” (Windling). The white rabbit serves as a warning of what is in store for Alice- confusion, mistaken identity, frustration, and a reversal of what she knows. The rabbit is seen to Alice however, as “nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself ‘Oh dear! Oh Dear! I shall be too late!’ (when she thought it over afterwards it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it seemed quite natural); but, when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and the hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge” (Carroll, 2). The notion of the rabbit owning human objects such as a watch, and a waistcoat startle Alice. When he notices her, he gets angry at her: “Very soon the Rabbit noticed Alice, as she went hunting about, and called out to her in an angry tone, ‘Why Mary Ann, what are you doing out here? Run home this moment, and fetch me a pair of gloves and a fan! Quick, now!’ And Alice was so much frightened that she ran off at once in the direction it pointed to, without trying to explain the mistake it had made. ‘He took me for his housemaid,’ she said to herself as she ran. ‘How surprised he’ll be when he finds out who I am! But I’d better take him his fan and gloves- that is, if I can find them.’ As she said this, she came upon a neat little house…She went in without knocking and hurried upstairs, in great fear lest she should meet the real Mary Ann, and be turned out of the house before she had found the fan and gloves. ‘How queer it seems,’ Alice said to herself, ‘to be going messages for a rabbit!” (Carroll, 24-25).

The White Rabbit doing his job at the trial

It strikes her as odd that he can order her about in Wonderland, and she does what he wants her to do. He is in a position in the court which gives him power, and he lives as a gentleman would in the normal world, with a house of his own and servants. He is very busy in the novel, and takes his job very seriously, often fretting about being late. “Near the King was the White Rabbit, with a trumpet in one hand, and a scroll of parchment in the other.” (Carroll, 89) He is one of the only characters that takes things seriously in the book, despite the chaos around him.

The March Hare, on the other hand, is a foil to the White Rabbit. As busy as the White Rabbit is, the March Hare is idle. He is known to be mad, and Alice decides to look for him when given a choice, as she thinks “the March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps, as this is May, it won’t be raving mad-at least not so mad as it was in March.” (Carroll, 51). He also has to keep moving as the White Rabbit does, but not because he is important. He follows the Mad Hatter, who has been accused of “murdering the time…ever since that he won’t do a thing I ask! It’s always six-o-clock now.” (Carroll, 57) He is not important to the society in Wonderland. He is a foil to the White Rabbit, and does not appear to be an independent animal. He is trapped in his situation, and is unable to escape it. “It’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.” (Carroll, 57).

The March Hare is dark, compared to the White Rabbit. He also looks more rabbit-like than the White Rabbit-he looks the most normal in the real world, but out of place in Wonderland.

He relies on the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse, and fills his days with useless tea drinking. His only purpose in the story is to serve as a companion for the Mad Hatter, and confuse Alice by asking unanswerable riddles. “The hare is a timid beast” (bestiary.ca), which means that he is not very confident in himself. He relies on the Mad Hatter to tell him what to do, such as when he has to switch seats. He has no agency, unlike the White Rabbit, and is an outcast in Wonderland.

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I thought I would focus on fantasy spaces or children entering into a new place later on in my blog. For right now though, I’d like to focus on just the welcoming of children into a new world. The act of welcoming someone into a new culture, or a new family or a new location can be looked to as a way to make a good first impression. In Walt Disney World, for example: the infamous “It’s a small world after all” ride is one which reminds everybody that they are welcome, no matter how old they are or what part of the world they come from.

There have been numerous parodies of this song: all welcoming children into another place, with a spectacular visual aspect which is so appealing- much like the ride: but they don’t have quite the same effect. Actually, some welcoming committees in Children’s Literature should probably come with a warning sign, like this one from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

In this clip, the children’s reactions to this welcome is completely justified. Willy Wonka’s behaviour to ignore the ruined show and carry on with his speech is what makes this funny. He expects them to be excited by the welcome, even though it has failed to be an impressive performance. He is unfazed, and makes his speech, while they are still unenthusiastic about what they have seen so far. There are several instances in children’s literature of adults welcoming children into an unfamiliar place, and children questioning what they say, or what they do. They, just like adults, can experience a “sense of being overwhelmed in another culture, and [be] confused by a history [they] don’t understand.” (Friedlander, lecture).

In A Little Princess, Sara is sent off to a school. As the story is told from her perspective, her internal thought process is shown to the readers. Miss. Minchin “was very like her house, Sara felt: tall and dull, and respectable and ugly.” (Burnett, 6). Sara sees and judges Miss. Minchin first, before she gets to know her. When Miss. Minchin tries to compliment her, Sara does not believe them, preferring to use her own judgement to decide if she is beautiful or not. “She was not at all elated by Miss. Minchin’s flattery….After she had known Miss Minchin longer she learned why she had said it. She discovered she said the same thing to each papa and mamma who brought a child to her school.” (Burnett, 7). Sara is able to recognize that there are ulterior motives to Miss Minchin’s welcoming her into the school. She wishes to appear as a good person by complimenting the child. This loses the effect however, when it is learned that Miss Minchin says this to every new pupil. The statement that Sara is beautiful is meaningless because it is only part of a speech, and what Miss. Minchin says brings readers to the conclusion that she can no longer be considered honest.

First impressions of Olaf- “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong” Violet, Klaus, and Sunny look cautiously at him.

The Bad Beginning approaches the first impressions which the children have towards adults in a different way. The voice of the narrator is very different from most children’s books. The narrator is someone watching the events happen, and retelling them as they happen. He treats the characters not as people in an alternate universe, but as characters in his book. The author also gives the children agency, making the adults fools. They are given to a distant relative after the death of their parents. He is the antagonist of the book, and is quickly shown as not suitable to be their guardian from the narrator’s point of view. “I wish that I could tell you that the Baudelaire’s first impressions of Count Olaf and his house were incorrect, as first impressions so often are. But these impressions- that Count Olaf was a horrible person, and his house a depressing pigsty-were absolutely correct. During the first few days after the orphan’s arrival at Count Olaf’s, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny attempted to make themselves feel at home, but it was really no use.” (Snicket, 28). They do not feel safe or comfortable in their new surroundings, and feel stuck in their new situation. “They could see… that Count Olaf had an image of an eye tattooed on his ankle, matching the eye on his front door. They wondered how many other eyes were in Count Olaf’s house, and whether, for the rest of their lives, they would always feel as though Count Olaf were watching them even when he wasn’t there.” (Snicket, 25). He is a threatening person to the three children, not a friendly welcoming guardian as the adults think he is. “But the children knew, as I’m sure you know, that the worst surroundings in the world can be tolerated if the people in them are interesting and kind. Count Olaf was neither interesting, nor kind; he was demanding, short tempered, and bad smelling. The only good thing to be said for Count Olaf is that he wasn’t around very much.” (Snicket, 29-30). He is neglectful, and only cares for their fortune. They are glad to be ignored however, because he scares them.

Mr. Tumnus feels guilty about deceiving Lucy

The Belonging Place by Jean Little has several instances where the main character Elspet, has to meet several people. In the beginning, she is four, and the narration exaggerates her smallness. “The giant…was my father. I studied him doubtfully. His face was very brown from the sun. His hair was fair and his eyes were bright blue. My eyes were the greenish-brown folks call hazel. But my short, straight hair was as flaxen fair as his. Was he really my Da? I was still puzzling over it when he smiled. Then I saw his gold tooth wink. I had seen that flashing tooth before. Slowly, I smiled back.” (Little, 9-10). Elspet is cautious about meeting her father, as “she was just two” (Little, 10). when he had to leave for work. She does not accept him as her father straight away, pointing out the differences in their appearance, and then deciding to rely on her memory to decide for her. She does not label him as a good or bad person as soon as she meets him. She has mixed feelings about leaving the place she has known and going to a new place, and the actions show that. “I talked very well for my age. But I did not say so. I had a hard lump in my throat. I wanted Mrs. Black. I did not belong with Da. I was afraid of him. I was afraid of the big horse we rode.” (Little, 14) Elspet connects hugs as a gesture of love with her mother. Using this as an indicator as to whether she is welcome or not by others she forms opinions of them. “His voice was kind and he gave me a little hug…Although my father’s strong arms held me firmly, I knew he did not love me as Mam had done.” (Little, 14-15). When her father hugs her, Elspet finally allows herself to judge him as a person who, although kind, doesn’t love her as her mother had. She recognizes that the distance between her father and herself is what kept them uneasy, but that it was not intentional. When she reaches her new home, her aunt invites her into the family, and makes her feel safe. “When I grew older, I thought my new life began with that long ride through the darkness, the moon’s smile and Aunt Ailsa’s hug. The gentle music of her loving words made my heart sing. ‘She belongs here. She belongs with us. We’re her family.’ This, I thought as I drifted into a deep, healing sleep, must be my belonging place.” (Little, 17). She is welcomed into the family instantly, with no doubt as to whether she will be cared for, and so she feels like she belongs with them.

Mr. Tumnus walks with Lucy to his house, pretending to welcome her to Narnia

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy is discovered by Mr. Tumnus who asks her if she “is in fact human?” (Lewis, 16). She is taken aback by this question, as it is not something that is usually asked when meeting someone. She finds out that she is in Narnia from the faun, and he invites her to his home. She thinks that he is the nicest Faun that [she] has ever met.” (Lewis, 23) and reassures him of this when he breaks down in tears. He is not who he seems to be, as he cries and says “Would you believe that I’m the sort of Faun to meet a poor innocent child in the wood, one that had never done me any harm, and pretend to be friendly with it, and invite it home to my cave, all for the sake of lulling it asleep, and then handing it over to the White Witch?” (Lewis, 23) He took advantage of the way that she trusted him to betray her. Lucy’s first impressions of Mr. Tumnus were incorrect, it only appeared that she was welcome in Narnia, when she was in fact seen as a threat to the White Witch.

In The Hobbit, it is not the child who is welcomed into the space, but the dwarves who are intruding. “Bilbo Baggins…is introduced to thirteen different dwarfs, all who have very similar names who proceed to kind of go through his house and get really drunk and tear up the joint…. It’s just this ridiculous series of names. One of the things Tolkien was doing with that was he was making it impossible for the reader to keep track of these dwarves, just like it would have been difficult for Bilbo to keep track of these dwarves. They all have these really similar names and they’re all showing up at the same time. Bilbo is about to embark on an adventure with a bunch of people that he’s just met, going places that he’s never been. So this sense of uneasiness and not being really familiar with what’s happening around you, that’s something [Tolkien] is able to convey by just introducing this foreign culture really quickly and overwhelming you with it.” (Friedlander, lecture) Having to welcome people into your space can be overwhelming and create a lot of pressure. The ones who are inviting people in can experience just as much anxiety as the ones being invited in. We do not get Bilbo’s thoughts about the people who enter his home, but through the descriptive first chapter we note the confusion as actions seem to happen all at once. We do not get Bilbo’s thoughts about people, he does not judge them, but we can see for ourselves that they are probably unwelcome from the way that Tolkien characterizes them. “He liked visitors, but he liked to know them before they arrived, and he preferred to ask them himself.” (Tolkien, 19) He is shocked at all the dwarves. He hasn’t got any time to form an opinion of them as they come without warning. He still welcomes them and makes sure that they are comfortable however. He fades into the background and allows them to converse with each other. He is too overwhelmed to give any thought to the intrusion; so he tries to be as polite as possible as he tries to sort out the visitors for himself.

Just like with adults, children do not blindly accept an adults words at face value. They may judge them, either inaccurately or accurately; they may be hesitant and cautious when meeting someone, they may be overwhelmed, and they may change their minds about those who welcome them into their homes, depending on how they act towards them later.

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Works Cited

IMAGES (In order of appearance, everything else in alphabetical order)